I.O.U.S.A. trailer....Are We In Trouble? Does Anyone Care?

Are we quietly spending our way into a hole?

A hole so deep we can not see the way out?

Does any body care that we may loose control of our own destiny?

We all have a responsibility as United States citizens to educate ourselves on this issue. This is a non-partisan issue that needs to be addressed. It's time we take control of our spending. I for one will be in line to see the movie that helps shed some light on this issue. Here is the trailer for I.O.U.S.A. <> Make up your own mind!

Take A Break And Watch The Olympics.

Watching the Olympics is one of the best reasons to put your busy lives on "coast" for a moment. Not on "hold", just on coast. Watching the athletes carry out a life long dream can be very inspiring. As an entrepreneur my commitment to my own dream has become rekindled. So even though you may think you are too busy to take time out for this rare opportunity, you should do it. There is something to be said for the time and commitment the athletes put into their dreams. We in the business world should take heed. So relax, put your feet up, turn on the TV and do some personal development. You will thank me for it later.

Social Networking Should Be Social

I have been spending quite a lot of time on Facebook in the past months. Making friends and trying to get to know them. I also created a group to help new people with tips on social networking. In the process of inviting new friends and group members I am dealing with more than a few of the members. What is strange to me is the amount of members who do not put up a profile picture. I find it very odd that people put all the time and effort into a social site and do not put up a profile picture. Why this is I do not know. There my be many reasons that they don't, but the fact is they don't. Some put up clever little photos of their pets or some models pic. Some use their company logo or a logo that they came up with for their own business. Most just use the big question mark that means you do not have a picture of your own to use. Not sure why they don't want me to know what they look like, but I don't find it very sociable.

Pictures From Omaha Storm 2008!

Be Passive With Your Social Marketing.

Social media sites have become very popular as of late. Many people who frequent these sites are only there for one reason. That reason is to sell-sell-sell to any one who will even pause long enough to read their profile. This high pressure sales technique may have worked in the past, but in today’s world one must use what I call “passive” marketing.

What I like to do is just make friends with a person first. See if you have anything or anyone in common. Be kind and courteous and helpful if asked, but do not be a salesman!

I never try to “sell” anyone on anything. There are only two situations that occur that would allow me to talk about my own business, or affiliate programs. If during the process of conversing with friends they ask you what you do for a living, or if they ask for help with something that you feel you can help them with. Then and only then do I put on my business hat.

This reminds me of one of my classified ads that I run. The title of this ad is “Always drink upstream from the herd.” The title has little to do with marketing and more to do with positioning. You see positioning is the way to market today. Be in the position to help when asked. You want to be all set up and waiting with what the client wants, when they decide they want it. Position yourself to take the best advantage of the situation that arises. Be passive; think ahead, in other words, “always drink upstream from the herd”. This is the best position to be in to get the good clean water, and very satisfied clients.

One step forward: Two steps back for Tolerance.

What is happening to our culture is of great concern to me this morning. Every day on the news there is at least one example of the regression of our general population. The news story today that prompted me to write is about a young boy with autism. He was “voted out" of his kindergarten class by the other students. The vote that took place was actually the suggestion of the class teacher!

Did I miss something here? Did we forget about our promises we made to the parents of these children? I understood that the “mainstreaming” of students was proving to be in the best interest of the autistic child. I do realize that children with disabilities or special needs can be disruptive to class at times. Our teachers need to have some tolerance and understanding when dealing with these students.

What does this action say to the other students in that class? To me it says only one thing. We as adults tell our children to show kindness, consideration, and understanding to others who may have special needs. But when it comes down to actually practice what we preach, we are failing miserably. As soon as this teacher suggested the vote, it told the students that the autistic child was somehow not as valuable as the rest of the class. This single action shows how prejudice some people/teachers still are.

We have made the commitment to bring our special needs students into mainstream class rooms. We now need to make sure that our teachers are properly trained in handling this sort of situation. We try to take our culture a step forward by providing all we can for these students. When the people who are supposed to be in charge act in this manner, it can only be counter productive for the other students. So instead of taking the right step forward, we took a couple of steps back today!!

How My VM Team uses a WIKI for their social network marketing team.

As an Elite member of My VM Team I found this video on how to utilize a "wiki" very helpful. We use a wetpaint wiki for My VM Team instructional videos on many different subjects. Any member of our social network marketing team can go to the wiki to learn the lessons that are provided there. Each member has the ability to add to or change the content of the wiki. This video by Karl Ortenburg should give you several ideas on how to use a wiki.



Kurt Mitchell/go ahead and google me!

Brian Campbell called Kurt Mitchell On Mothers Day!!

Kate and I were attending a graduation reception for one of our good friend’s daughters when my cell phone rang. The caller ID did not let me know who it was calling me on Mothers Day! It said "unknown caller" so I thought it might just be someone spamming me on my phone. I answered the call thinking I would just be polite and hang up. Instead of hanging up I ended up on the phone for quite some time. It was none other than Brian Campbell on the phone! Now if you don't know who Brian Campbell is, chances are you don't have a facebook account. Brian is famous on facebook now for his very public announcement that he is going to show us all how to make $10,000 in 37 days just from his contacts on facebook. I was lucky enough to be one of the first 1000 to sign up for his 3 1/2 hour video course he launched this weekend. After watching his video series I was eager to enroll in his program so I signed up. Brian was calling me to welcome me and to thank me for enrolling. As I was driving home that evening I was still thinking about how awesome it was for him to take the time to call me personally. Now I wonder if he called all the people who signed up, of did he think I was someone special. I like to think the latter. Come join my facebook group, and invite all your friends also.

Kurt Mitchell/google me

Supercharge Your Business to Millions!

I thought this was great information on how to get your business to the "Big Time". You have to look at things in a new way, you have to be different. "You Have To Stand Up Before You Can Stand Out"Gary Vaynerchuk gives his tips for success and explains how to supercharge your business. See how Laurie Feltheimer and Scott-Vincent Borba executed these ideas in reality.

Thanks to Deborah Micek(CoachDeb)on twitter for the link to this great info.